Windows 7 is finally here

[RhinoBull]

So it is! For those of you who can get a copy I'll ask please do so we can help to make it better.
Thanks.

[RobDog888]

I got mine Wednesday from our MSDN subscription. Seen the PDC demos and installing it this weekend on a VM. Finally

Note: this is Beta 1 so care should be used and do not install on an important system that you can not afford to reformat.

[Nightwalker83]

Oh no and I just bought Vista!

[dclamp]

I have been downloading it all day... its taking forever.

I'm going to install it on a VM... and i hope i dont need to reformat...

[Nightwalker83]

I'm going to install it on a VM... and i hope i dont need to reformat...

Great idea! I might do the same.

[dclamp]

just checked the download status, and for some reason it failed.. had to start over!.. 1h 46m remaining...

[mendhak]

Hah, got it weeks ago.

It's been running much faster for me than Vista ever has, almost as fast as Win2008. Didn't like the position of the 'show desktop' icon.

[dclamp]

5 minutes remaining... Wont get to install it until the morning though... Im not sure what to expect, is it much like Vista?

[Nightwalker83]

Which browser are you guys using to download the Win7 beta? Nothing happens when I click the download button in Fire fox.

[dclamp]

Which browser are you guys using to download the Win7 beta? Nothing happens when I click the download button in Fire fox.

Same happened for me. ILMV sent me the direct link.

http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...FRE_EN_DVD.iso

Edit:
so after the 2.5 hour download, Fx scans the 2.4gig file for viruses... going so far for 10 minutes...

[mendhak]

5 minutes remaining... Wont get to install it until the morning though... Im not sure what to expect, is it much like Vista?

It is the same Vista base, just with more tweaks, speed-ups, eye-candy, slightly new layout in some areas.

I'd also recommend you install it on a new machine if you have one to spare.

[Nightwalker83]

Same happened for me. ILMV sent me the direct link.

Ah ok, thanks! Did you receive this message when using IE?

Windows 7 Beta Download Center

Please wait while the Download Manager begins your download.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you have not already installed ActiveX control or the JavaTM applet, an information box will appear in your Microsoft Internet Explorer browser prompting you to install "ActiveX control:...".
If the Download Manager can not install the ActiveX control or the JavaTM applet in your browser, you may have system restrictions.

If you have system restrictions, please:

Download products using the Web Browser method
Contact your organization’s Administrator to download products using the Download Manager method

Edit:

Downloading Win 7 now!

[dclamp]

It is the same Vista base, just with more tweaks, speed-ups, eye-candy, slightly new layout in some areas.

I'd also recommend you install it on a new machine if you have one to spare.

The spare machine i have wont work with Win7 let alone Vista...

Any down side to installing on a vm?

[dclamp]

Ah ok, thanks! Did you receive this message when using IE?

no. because i use fx

[mendhak]

Any down side to installing on a vm?

Yeah, you lose bragging rights

[dclamp]

Yeah, you lose bragging rights

I still need to figure out how to install a VM... i downloaded and installed Windows Virtual PC..

[dilettante]

Got it fairly quickly Saturday afternoon. Well under an hour using IE and the downloader applet.

Works fine under VPC and so far all my VB6 applications I've tested install and run properly. Vista discipline has paid off.

[Nightwalker83]

no. because i use fx

Yeah, I tried fx but encountered the problem I posted above so decided to try IE. However, after you posted the direct lnk I just put that it to fx and began the download.

I have 15 minutes left until the download is complete!

[dilettante]

Yeah, you lose bragging rights

You also lose Glass.

[JuggaloBrotha]

Oh no and I just bought Vista!

Why'd you do that?

[Nightwalker83]

Why'd you do that?

WinXP went down on me!

[Atheist]

Im quite happy with Windows Vista... but do you guys think there's any chance Microsoft offers the possibility of being able to upgrade Vista to Windows 7 when its released? Or would there be too many technical difficulties in it to even be possible.

[JuggaloBrotha]

Im quite happy with Windows Vista... but do you guys think there's any chance Microsoft offers the possibility of being able to upgrade Vista to Windows 7 when its released? Or would there be too many technical difficulties in it to even be possible.

Considering the base code for win7 is the same as Vista (just like win2k and winxp have the same base code, except xp sp2/3 changed that) I would say MS would be able to let you seemlessly upgrade vista to win7 since an upgrade wizard wouldn't be needed. And of course upgrading winxp to win7 would pretty much be the same as upgrading winxp to vista.

Heck MS even made it easy back in the day to go from win98 to winxp almost flawlessly too, if MS doesn't allow you to easily go from xp or vista to win7 then they're just shooting themselves in the foot (like they did by releasing vista in the first place)

[NoteMe]

The current Beta only have upgrade options from Windows Vista Sp1, so yeah, I guess they won't remove that possibility when they finally release, but rather improve it to work for all Vista version. But then again, you never know.

- ØØ -

[dilettante]

People may want to read through Windows 7 Developer Guide as well as keep track of the Engineering Windows 7 blog.

There is a lot to be found via Channel 9: Windows 7 tags too.

[dilettante]

Took my own advice and sat through most of A lap around Windows 7 new Scenic Ribbon.

Yes Virginia, there are at least 4 "standard" Ribbons in Windows now, though only this one is part of the OS. It'll be backported to Vista soon too (SP2?).


Best line of the show (paraphrased):

Adding a Ribbon can make your applications look new without actually doing any work to add functionality.

And yes, these things are poorly rehearsed and painful to sit through.


Edit:

Played a few more minutes of that video.

The guy shows "how few lines of code are needed" then compiles and starts his demo. Sure 'nuff there's a Ribbon, but... "uh, none of these b'taans [French accent] do anything, you write a pile more code than I showed you."

[RhinoBull]

I never liked ribbons - I think it's a navigational nightmare.

[RobDog888]

I like ribbens but you just have to get used to the new locations as compared against the classic toolbars.

I would think that Vista ribben support would be in Vista SP-1 as SP-2 wont be out for some time.

[dilettante]

Hmm, I don't know...

MS Paint in Windows 7 looks like a nightmare to me!

[RobDog888]

Ive been using Office 2007 since it was beta and I'm used to the Ribbens but took a long time. At first it was very frustrating trying to "find" where features were and some were actually removed too as well as new ones added etc.

I like the new look of Paint!!!

I wish they would migrate to a single ribben bar.

[dilettante]

Darn, I wanted to create a mockup of "Win 7 NotePad" with a Ribbon in it, but I just couldn't find a picture of a 747 cockpit done up in Fisher-Price colors.

I decided to settle for a brief clip from Airplane the Movie.

[dclamp]

Currently installing it on a VM... "Expanding Files (40%)"

[dclamp]

Well i got it installed. So far looking good, except for the task bar, not liking it too much.

[dilettante]

Change it to "small icons." I did and it improved things maybe 30% for me.

The taskbar operations are kind of funky though, I miss the Quick Launch area in its old form. Now you right click on something and might get a whole Start Menu worth of bewildering options.

I sent Microsoft a "fed up" (er, feedback) about the missing QuickLaunch Toolbar.

[dilettante]

Ahh, such a dork.

The "pinned items" are actually in the QuickLaunch Toolbar, it just isn't called that and it acts differently, takes up too much horizontal space, etc:

%User%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch

[RhinoBull]

I like the new look of Paint!!!.

I'd say "I like the new feel..." I but more on a functional side - still not too crazy about the ribbons.
But over all it is a big improvement.

Just like the others I'm not too happy about the Taskbar - small icons kind of worked better for me but still not as good as "good ol" Quick Launch.

[Nightwalker83]

I'm currently re-installing the VMWare Server then I'm going win7 on the Server.

[dclamp]

Change it to "small icons." I did and it improved things maybe 30% for me.

The taskbar operations are kind of funky though, I miss the Quick Launch area in its old form. Now you right click on something and might get a whole Start Menu worth of bewildering options.

I sent Microsoft a "fed up" (er, feedback) about the missing QuickLaunch Toolbar.

Thanks

[dilettante]

I'm begining to think I'll need to write a "tweaker" script to run every time I reinstall or roll back a VM. Manually hacking 200 little properties every time to make things bearable will get old.

[dilettante]

Due to an enormous surge in demand, the download experience was not ideal so we listened and took the necessary steps to ensure a good experience. We have clearly heard that many of you want to check out the Windows 7 Beta and, as a result, we have decided remove the initial 2.5 million limit on the public beta for the next two weeks (thru January 24th). During that time you will have access to the beta even if the download number exceeds the 2.5 million unit limit.

Slowpokes of the world, relax and have another beer.